We split the drive back to Austin over two days with a quick one night stay in El Paso. En route to Texas we passed through Tuscon, AZ and southwest New Mexico via I-10, a stretch of interstate I had not yet traveled. Unless you take an exit to a side road, there are no pull outs on interstates to photograph the vistas. But that doesn't mean that we didn't appreciate the view all the same. I have complained about I-10 between Houston and New Orleans, with its narrow lanes and numerous over-water bridges, seemingly always under construction, offering little to no shoulder among the heavy traffic of cars and semi-trucks; however, I fully admit that I-10 between Tucson and central Texas is as stunning as it is easy to drive. Well, unless you count the dust storms (more on that in a moment).
First, did you know there is a Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona? Neither did I. We saw a few of these spectacular cacti dotting the landscape between Phoenix and Tucson. I had seen photos so I knew they were tall, but man, they are a sight to behold in person. I regret not capturing a photograph. Also, the exit sign for the national park was upon us as we whizzed by at 75 miles per hour before I even knew there was a national park. I had hoped we might see more after that, but it was not in the cards. Something to add to the top of my new bucket list.
The landscape for most of our drive on I-10 was flat desert, with some white sand areas near Las Cruces, NM, all of it surrounded by hills or mesas in the distance. Stunning. Much of it reminded me of the open sky plains of rural Montana, but with much less grass, and mesas replacing the mountains. We could see 360 degree views for miles on a road that stretched out like a straight ribbon. This made for easy driving and a posted legal of speed limit of 80! In the late afternoon as we neared El Paso, we could see rainstorms in patchy cloudbursts between areas of sunshine. It was beautiful. We also saw signs put up by the department of transportation to beware of dust storms, along with instructions on what to do if one occurs.
With the rain systems all about us on the desert, we could see dust devils here and there, and could feel the wind outside blowing against the SUV. Yet, for the longest time we simply drove without the rain landing on top of us. And then, the wind picked up severely. Tumbleweeds began skirting across the road and up arose the dust. No rain. Just dust. Let me tell ya, I don't care to do that again. Visibility dropped in an instant. Thank God for those advisory signs because we did just as they directed. We pulled off on the shoulder, turned on the lights, put the car in park and waited it out. I have driven in sheets of rain and snow before, but never just sand. The sound of it hitting the car is not pleasant. It only lasted for a maybe 15 seconds, but in that time we became believers in what it must be like for the people who live and drive in that part of the country on a routine basis.
Pulling safely back on the road, with relief that we could see again, Preston and I reached across the middle console of the car and gave each other a high five. Folks may like to say "Don't Mess with Texas," but those dust storms near the Arizona/New Mexico border are not playing either.
We arrived at the hotel in El Paso near dusk, with a thunderstorm approaching. Cloud to ground lightning flashed in the sky and when we pulled into the Holiday Inn Express parking lot even the hotel sign was flickering. We laughed (maybe a bit uneasily) because despite being a newer property, the scene was like something from a horror film.
The beds were comfy. Ghosts never appeared and we ate a quick hotel buffet breakfast before setting out again the next morning. Back to I-10. A few miles along, part of the interstate was closed. Detour time. It turned out to be no big deal, a short stint on a frontage road with very little traffic at that hour on a Sunday morning. But we did notice something unexpected: back on I-10, there is a small section in El Paso that runs parallel to an equally populated area of Mexico. The border wall is prominently visible from the passenger side heading south. So are the blocky style, albeit colorful, tiny apartment housing units, stacked offset from each other, laundry strewn over the balconies and across makeshift clotheslines. It was surreal to be driving in America, but looking at an outskirt city suburb in Chihuahua, Mexico.
From El Paso to central Texas we had an uneventful interstate drive with more open desert, more mesas, but no more rain or dust. There was very little traffic or construction. About 2 hours from Austin, we left I-10 for Texas highway 290. We encountered sleepy little towns and sprawling ranches along the way. Then about 50 miles outside of Austin, we reached hill country which is also aptly known as the wine country. You could swing a dead cat and hit a vineyard. There are over 100 in the area and no, that is not a typo. Signs for wine tastings abound. The grape vines are green and lush in row after row after row. And some of them have the most tempting names - Blue Lotus, Hawk Shadow, Sister Creek. But my favorite, my absolute most favorite was the sign pointing to a vineyard called Fat Ass Ranch and Winery. (Sorry grandmas - it had to be typed).
And just like that, there are now TWO items on my newly minted bucket list: Saguaro cactuses and Fat Ass Wine. Also, I just made Christmas shopping super easy for that son of mine, and he won't have to go much farther than his own backyard. Cheers!